HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad FIA arrested Thatta CIA in–charge, known for his strong political connections, on Thursday in a case of subjecting Mirpur Sakro town chairman of Thatta district and his friend to torture in custody.

Mumtaz Brohi was arrested when he arrived at the FIA office for having his statement recorded following a series of notices. He had failed to appear before FIA’s investigating officer (IO), Zubair Yusufani, in response to previous two notices.

The FIA arrested Brohi in line with a court order that had mandated the agency officials to investigate the case of torture in custody on Iqbal Ahmed Khaskheli and Yousuf Shaheen in line with section 5(2) of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022. Brohi would be produced in court on Friday, according to the IO.

FIA Assistant director and IO, Yusufani, said that Judicial Magistrate-I Thatta Mohammad Waqas Afzal had ordered the FIA investigate the case under supervision of the National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR) as per section 5(2) of the Act.

The judge had passed the order on May 5, 2025, mentioning that Khaskheli and Shaheen had moved an application seeking inquiry under supervision of NCHR on account of alleged torture upon them during police remand.

The suspects were arrested on charges of attack on a police station.

The court noted that the suspects were produced before the court virtually due to a due to a strike on April 28 and they complained that they were subjected to torture in custody. The court ordered their medical examination and issuance to them of medico legal certificates but they were not produced before MLO.

The suspects were finally granted bail and they appeared before the court on April 29 to raise the complaint of non-compliance of the court order for their medical examination by the IO. Finally, they were issued a medical certificate which vindicated their claim of physical injuries.

The court then ordered the FIA to investigate the case under supervision of NCHR.

The applicant who was alleged to have attacked a police station in Thatta was called by police and booked in three cases in a row this year besides other cases filed in 2008, 2011, 2017 and 2024. He told FIA that he was tortured by Mumtaz Brohi.

Brohi has served in Hyderabad for a considerable period at police station Pinyari. He was posted in Thatta a few months back. “His arrest makes us feel as if we have committed a sin,” said an FIA official on condition of anonymity.

According to town committee chairman Iqbal Khaskheli, he was arrested along with journalist, Yusuf Shaheen on April 26 when they were called for appearing for criminal record office (CRO) verification.

He said he had attended Babarloi lawyers’ sit-in against six new canals in Babarloi where he had delivered a speech. He told Dawn he had defeated PPP’s candidate in 2022 local government elections but later joined PPP.

He said that he was beaten black and blue in custody by two SHOs of Makli and Mirpur Sakro police stations besides inspector Mumtaz Brohi.

He had appeared for CRO verification along with his supporters who had all attended Babarloi sit-in but he and Yusuf were detained and implicated in false cases of police encounter and possession of illicit weapon.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2025